A.J. Jacobs has already improved his spirit and his mind by following the Old Testament for a year (in The Year of Living Biblically) and reading the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica from cover to cover (in The Know-It-All). Now he humbly — and once again with great good humor — broaches the diet & exercise craze. I […]

Morgan Callan Rogers has written a coming-of-age novel with a sympathetic yet tough young protagonist, enticing small-town coastal Maine setting, and a mystery. What happened to Florine’s mother? Even more to the point, will Florine do alright without her? To tell the truth, we almost missed this one. This January title has flown under the radar […]

from graphic novel guest blogger Francisca Goldsmith: Blending genres in fiction can have the same enriching and expansive effect that blending varietals or spices allow. Sometimes the mixture goes wrong because the blending leaves a neither-this-nor-that overtone; the best blends, however, offer subtleties missing from “pure” strains. Bloody Chester is that special latter sort, in […]

Nick Dybek‘s debut is about fathers and sons, villains and heroes. The Granta New Voices program highlights six debut authors each year. Dybek became a Granta New Voice in December, and there is an excellent, extensive interview on their site about his novel. He shares this, “In children’s books the villains are usually doomed while the […]

It all began in 2006 when four aimless young guys came up with a crazy idea — buy an old bus, fix it up, then drive around fulfilling their bucket lists while helping strangers to do to the same. Since then they’ve acquired a name, The Buried Life, and accomplished quite a bit, from riding […]

Pamela Redmond’s new novel addresses the consequences of unplanned pregnancy in three different periods of 20th century America. Adoption and its effects on the mother and the daughter, the availability of birth control, the availability of abortion. Redmond shows just how complicated the decisions involved with potential motherhood can be. In a Q&A published on her […]

from graphic novel guest blogger Francisca Goldsmith: Arne Bellstorf’s graphic novel history of a very early chapter in the career of the Beatles introduces Americans not only to the feel and look of the group’s German premier, but also gives us a fine intro to a well recognized creator in today’s German comics. While we […]

In her 2001 debut, Loung Ung wrote about surviving the Cambodian genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge. First They Killed My Father is among the very best memoirs with teen appeal that shine a light on recent global history, along with Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane, Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone and Persepolis. First They Killed My […]

In Cheryl Strayed’s memoir she tells the story of her eleven hundred-mile solo hike along the Pacific Coast Trail, trying to find herself again in the aftermath of her mother’s early death. Strayed started in the Mojave Desert, making her way through California and Oregon to Washington State, with little experience camping and no experience […]

Jessica Maria Tuccelli’s family saga incorporates both Native American and African American history and lore, and even some hints of the supernatural. The southern Appalachia setting is an important element of the book, so it is interesting to read the author’s description of how she found the setting for her story. You might also enjoy […]

About Adult Books 4 Teens

The Adult Books 4 Teens blog was created to help librarians who work with teenagers find the best books published for the adult market that have appeal to teen readers. We provide recommendations and reviews, commentary and news about titles in all genres and formats: narrative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, thrillers and mysteries, memoirs, fantasy and science fiction, contemporary realism, arts and crafts and more.

With very few exceptions, only positive reviews will be published, so the appearance of a review should be considered a recommendation.

Angela Carstensen is Head Librarian at Convent of the Sacred Heart, a
> K-12 private girls school in New York City. Contact her via Twitter @AngeReads.

Mark Flowers is the Young Adult Librarian at John F. Kennedy Library in Vallejo, CA, a branch of the Solano County Library. Contact him via Twitter @droogmark.